Alternative TitlesEnglish: Descendants of Darkness Synonyms: Descent into Darkness, The Darker Descendant Japanese: 闇の末裔
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 2, 2000 to Dec 18, 2000
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.361 (scored by 12547 users)
Ranked: #17962
Popularity: #803
Members: 22,327
Favorites: 314 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action comedy drama fantasy horror shounen-ai supernatural |
SynopsisEven after death, life is full of paperwork and criminals. Tsuzuki Asato is a 26 year old, happy-go-lucky, and dorky shinigami (god of death) whose job is to makes sure that those who are dead remain dead and stay in their proper realms. Even though he's had this job for over 70 years, he is in the worst division with horrible pay. He also has a knack for not keeping partners (since shinigami work in pairs), but now he seems to have one that will stick around; stubborn, smart-mouthed, serious and defensive 16 year old, Kurosaki Hisoka. With each case they investigate, they come closer to the conspiracies of the serial killer Dr. Muraki Kazutaka. Tsuzuki's relationship with Hisoka is growing stronger and closer...but there is a dark past to how Tsuzuki died that will not give him peace.
(Source: ANN) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Yami no Matsuei
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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darkadonis
49 of 68 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Note: This review has been updated to be consistent with my changing views on anime.
Descendants of Darkness is based on the manga of the same name. It follows four major story arcs of the manga. Three episodes comprise each of the first three arcs while the last four episodes focus on the fourth. Since the anime leaves off where the manga caries on (the manga isn't finished either), the ending doesn't really offer a true conclusion and a lot of questions are left unanswered. Fans of the manga might also be disappointed that a lot of the manga's characters are either left out or shoved into the background.
Despite these unfortunate circumstances, I think that the anime more than does the manga justice. In fact, I find it to be an improvement over the manga. While some of the humor and silliness are there, the anime takes on a more serious tone, capitalizing more on the angst, mystery, and supernatural element of the story. The art and music are also absolutely beautiful! Descendants of Darkness has a superb soundtrack which is well worth downloading or even buying! Aside from the characters being beautiful, the monsters and magic are also magnificently rendered. Even though it isn't really a fighting anime, the action sequences should be awesome enough to please those who would otherwise be bored with the drama.
The series consists mostly of fairly mediocre characters, yet it has what I consider to be one of the greatest villains in anime history. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are the protagonists of our story. They are likable characters overall. Tsuzuki is a real sweety despite being a little bit dense and childlike at times. Hisoka has a little bit of an attitude problem at first, but once it becomes apparent where he is coming from, you can't help but sympathize with the guy. Watari and Tatsumi are minor characters who had significantly larger roles in the manga. For the most part, they are just there. They don't really add that much to the anime, but they don't detract from it either. The Gushoshin twins are the only characters that could really be considered annoying. This is mostly because they seem a bit out of place (being two cutesy little talking birds in an otherwise human cast).
Our antagonist Dr. Muraki gets his own paragraph since no couple of sentences could possibly do him justice. He is the subject of much admiration as well as loathing from DoD fans, and he deserves every bit of both. Practically everything he does is just horrific and despicable, but he is so cool and gorgeous and entertaining that you can almost forgive him for being the monster he is. He desires Tsuzuki's body both carnally and scientifically. The scientific reason is revealed later and it gives Muraki's character quite a bit more depth, though you are longing for much more once the anime ends.
While the show isn't technically shounen-ai (gay male romance), it contains a lot of hints and fanservice. It is very easy to read in an attraction between our two heroes. I personally believe in this attraction, but other fans are free to form their own interpretations. Muraki is much less ambiguous and regularly molests Tsuzuki. This lust Muraki has for Tsuzuki is clearly one-sided, but it makes for some rather hot homoerotic material (even though nothing overtly sexual actually happens).
The show masquerades a bit as a mystery series. In reality, the mysteries aren't really any big puzzle. As the audience, we basically know that Muraki is behind everything (with the exception of episodes 4-6). And while the story isn't particularly imaginative as far as anime goes, the characters and the art make it more than worthwhile. All in all, I can't think of any reason to dislike this series unless you're either homophobic or a hardcore manga snob. But we can't please everybody, can we? read more
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zeru02
12 of 27 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
The first anime I watched with a light yaoi feel, hahaha..Funny enough the fact that it has a slight touch of yaoi makes this anime a bit more interesting than the usual agents-from-the-afterlife-theme series. The opening music is amazing and suits it well, with cool guitar and electronic mix and lyrics that matches the series itself. Its a mixture of dark and humor -- centering on Tsuzuki and his co-shinigamis, who are in charge of keeping the balance in the afterlife by making sure that those who die go to their right place and investigating situations that threatens that balance caused by mysterious deaths that occurs in succession. Alhtough I prefer the manga version more which is longer, this anime is very well done and all the vital chapters are included. Although it has funny situations, the dark side of each characters are shown -- each with their own reasons for becoming a shinigami, whether its for finding one's dark past or for atoning for their mistakes. The antagonist Dr. Muraki is very effective, he's darker than dark, yet charming and comes across as very likeable. For anyone who wants a different yet familiar series to love, this should definitely be on your list. read more
Recommendations
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Loveless and Descendants of Darkness deal with supernatural battles that drag the characters into bitter confrontations. Dark and mysterious pasts are another common factor, as is the occasionally dark tone that both series contain. While they shy from being graphic, much is implied, leading to many a painful revelation. Loveless qualifies as shounen-ai and DoD has enough boys' love content to be highly slashable.
Both are shounen-ai anime set in a supernatural or fantasy world. Loveless is more hardcore, although not really yaoi and in Yami no Matsuei it's more of a sub-plot.
'tis love, romance and all under a dark backdrop. Two fighting for each other, and love blooming. *swoon*
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Both of these animes have the same supernatural dark themed atmosphere, and it has the same theme of having a strong bond between it's two male protagonists (yami no matsuei's shounen ai is much more exposed though). Both animes pertains to solving some mysterious cases too. I am 100% sure that you'll like Kuroshitsuji if you're a big fan of yami no matsuei.
Both of these animes are a combination of comedy, mystery and a shounen-ai (hinted, as in Kuroshitsuji's case) theme. They also share main-characters with a bond between a young boy and a male. Another thing worth mentioning is that Ciel and Hisoka's appearance, voice and personality are much alike.
Both shows play on the grimmer side of 'BL' style stories. They also delight in mysteries, wicked twists, and eccentric characters. Shinigami (Reapers) and Demons play a role in both stories, although at opposite sides. Shinigami are not all benevolent, and the Demon in Kuroshitsuji seems more noble then most other characters.
Kuroshitsuji has a more prevalent gothic atmosphere then Yami no Matsuei, but very similar priorities on character designs. Both shows put an effort into making the characters look good, but sometimes the animation gets a little off or doesn't look as ideal as desired. Some episodes also get pretty bad on fanservice compared to Yami no Matsuei and can easily be omitted (In my case this was 7 - 9). But otherwise the show is very solid, and delivers a very befitting finale.
Some characters in Yami no Matsuei, like Hisoka or Muraki, have similarities to ones from Kuroshitsuji. Hisoka's tragic past seems oddly similar to Ciel, the main character of Kuroshitsuji, as does his cold behavior at the beginning of the series. The seductive villain Muraki is somewhat similar to Sebastien, Ciel's butler, but of course it's not nearly so simple as that. There are many nuances to these characters then would be first let on, much like in Yami no Matsuei.
The story in Kuroshitsuji does not get darker in theme until episode 4, so if the mood whiplash between comedy and drama bothers you it does go away. Unfortunately the lighter moments don't seem to blend in as well as they did in Yami no Matsuei, but they can be managed. All else fails, pay more attention to character behavior then the poorly done 'jokes.' Kuroshitsuji can be silly, and over the top but it is a fun ride once it finally settles down.
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Opening Theme"Eden" by To Destination
Ending Theme"Love Me" by The Hong Kong Knife
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Fansubbing Groups
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Agaman [AGM] (Brazilian Portuguese)
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